With runners on second and third in a game tied 10-10, the Pirates struck out opposing pitcher Pedro Astacio for the first out. However, the ball rolled a foot away from catcher Mark Parent. Rather than leap up and get it, he had a nice laborsaving brainstorm: he scooped the ball up with his mask.

That's so simple - why hadn't anyone thought of doing it before? Because the rules say a catcher can't do that. Again, runners could advance one base - game over.

Worst of all was the game's final three plays. The Cards led 8-5 with the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Then third baseman Tommy Glaviano muffed a grounder - run scores and everyone advanced a base. 8-6.

The next batter also hit it to third. For the second straight play, Glaviano pooches it: everyone advances a base and a run scores. 8-7.

Then - you know what's going to happen, right? Yep, grounder to third, Glaviano blows it. In a change of pace, two runs score. St. Louis lost on back-to-back-to-back errors by the same player.

Here is another tough loss:

April 25, 1901

Milwaukee - 025 000 33 0 - 13
Detroit - 000 210 0110 - 14

That was Detroit's (and Milwaukee's) first American League game. Here's the rest of the Tigers/Brewers series:

April 26, 1901

Milwaukee - 020 200 100 - 5
Detroit - 001 001 022 - 6

April 27, 1901

Milwaukee - 030 501 000 - 9
Detroit - 013 300 15x - 13

April 28, 1901

Milwaukee - 211 100 600 - 11
Detroit - 000 140 034 - 12

Just a brutal start for the Brewers -- blowing late leads of 13-4, 5-2, 9-7, and 11-5 -- who moved to St. Louis the following year and became the Browns. After 1953, the team moved to Baltimore and are now the Orioles. (See also here.)

The bottom of the ninth was described batter by batter in the AP story from 4/26/1901. It's in a few different papers on Google News search.

The only things I had to speculate on were RBIs on a couple of those plays (that's what my numbers in parentheses are, I forgot to note that), and whether the 3rd baseman was credited with an E on that grounder (box score said he had two in the game so I assume that was one of them).

One of the papers headlined it "Panic in Detroit."

And the Baltimore paper also talked about opening day vs. Boston, and the pre-game parade! I guess that would have been the first Red Sox -Yankees game.

You of all people shouldn't be saying this. :>) Yes, the plan in 1901 was to have an AL team in New York and the Orioles did move to Washington Heights and become the Highlanders, but not until 1903. For the first two AL seasons, there was no team in New York. And they were not officially known as the Yankees until 1913.